President Biden will travel to Brussels next week to meet with NATO allies as Russia presses on with its invasion of Ukraine https://t.co/wvAoaCKzLw via @bpolitics @Jordanfabian @JenniferJJacobs
— John Follain (@JohnFollain) March 15, 2022
White House having discussions about how to play most effective role in supporting refugees fleeing Ukraine, @PressSec says. Biden would welcome them to U.S. “Currently they can apply through the refugee process but we’re continuing to discuss what options may exist,” she says.
— Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) March 15, 2022
Lots of big names here for Biden’s bill signing, including @Sen_JoeManchin, @ChrisCoons, @RepBarbaraLee, @SenSchumer @WhipClyburn, @LeaderHoyer https://t.co/3KsdJOsk4i pic.twitter.com/W1yQnyVDkX
— Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) March 15, 2022
======
I’m looking forward to reading what Adam has to say about Marina Ovsyannikova tonight…
After going dark for nearly 24 hours, Marina Ovsyannikova has surfaced in court, where she’s facing a misdemeanor charge for her protest on Channel One.
Crucially, it’s not under the new “fake news” law – so the most she can get is 10 days in jail.https://t.co/nFV7aPFaPQ
— max seddon (@maxseddon) March 15, 2022
I can cover that *hands bailiff a roll of nickels* https://t.co/fV6Uium7s8
— zeddy (@Zeddary) March 15, 2022
I understand that the pre-recorded video is one charge but the in-studio protest is another, so this establishes first offense and subsequent charge makes her a repeat offender facing 15 years?
— ⋋〳 ᵕ _ʖ ᵕ 〵⋌ (@sansmalarkey) March 15, 2022
ETA:
Marina Ovsyannikova emerges from court, says she hasn’t slept in two days, wasn’t allowed to make any phone calls or see a lawyer. Says she’s not surprised she just got a fine because she has two children. https://t.co/vmEwcMt8CI
— Julia Ioffe (@juliaioffe) March 15, 2022
Suzanne
Good on Governor Wolf.
https://twitter.com/governortomwolf/status/1503774284254257152?s=21
Suzanne
WTF how do I embed a tweet?!
jeffreyw
Betty
@Suzanne: I see the usual suspects are commenting on his announcement demanding a break in the gas tax. It’s always about them and a chance to complain about the Governor.
Calouste
@Betty:
Easiest way to spot a conservative.
Dorothy A. Winsor
@Suzanne: Click the dots at the upper right of a tweet. Choose “embed tweet.” Then it will ask you to click copy code. Do that. Once you get back to BJ, make sure you’re in text mode at the upper right of the comment box. Then paste.
Elizabelle
@Dorothy A. Winsor: Thank you. Good to know.
Baud
@Elizabelle:
How are you feeling? Isn’t it the middle of the night in Germany?
Roger Moore
@Betty:
I see the whataboutists are also suggesting we shouldn’t do anything about Ukrainian refugees until we’ve fixed homelessness. I’ll believe people like that when they talk about homelessness not in the context of an excuse to do nothing about some other problem.
Mart
Concerned at the lack of any coverage of the arrest of Brittney Griner in Russia – Olympic gold medalist and WNBA all-star. I fear for her, a married openly gay woman. Think the USA needs to start making a stink. Maybe ship all the Russian NHL players back until she is released. That would get a lot of rich white folks attention
ETA – Imagine the outrage if a prominent male straight athlete was busted at the start of Russia’s war with some pot.
WaterGirl
I am watching Jen Psaki’s press briefing from today. Someone just asked how she and Biden and others feel about being on the Russia sanctions list.
She said that President Biden is Joseph Biden, Jr. so she thinks they actually sanctioned Joe Biden’s dad! hahaha
Freemark
@Suzanne: He lives in my hometown. we even have the same mechanic. So glad he is our governor. The amount of suck Pennsylvania would be if Wagner had won gives me shudders. I could see us being Northern Florida.
Baud
@Mart:
Why would Putin respond to that given everything else? She’s probably better off if the Biden people can work back channels.
Alison Rose ???
@Betty: Every single damn Instagram post and tweet from Gov Newsom has a hundred frothing dipshits screaming about the gas tax, too. It’ll probably increase now that the school mask mandate is gone and the ones who were screeching UNMASK OUR KIDS!!!!!! will have to find a new thing to bitch about.
raven
@Alison Rose ???: I’m going to try this one more time and then assume you have me pied.
I’ve been trying to catch you but we are in different orbits. I apologize for the flip comment that you should “enlist” and I hope I never said you should shut the fuck up but, if I did, I apologize for that as well. I struggle with sending people to war but that’s a me problem. sorry
mrmoshpotato
USA Today – Second gentleman Doug Emhoff tests positive for COVID-19
WaterGirl
@Mart: Read this post from Dave Zirin.
West of the Rockies
@Alison Rose ???:
Yes, the anti-Newsome recall losers will continue to soil their Depends. It is who they are.
Gin & Tonic
Ovsiannikova was perfectly happy to take a salary spinning government propaganda for 8 years, now suddenly she finds a cause? And I’m the Queen of England.
Baud
@Gin & Tonic:
You may want to keep your distance from Schrodinger’s Cat.
PJ
@Gin & Tonic: War, particularly if it involves people close to you, is one of those things that can change people’s minds. On the other hand, it could be some kind of ploy, but what would be the point?
E.
Is this an okay place for me to brag about the Ukraine/World Central Kitchen fundraiser I held at my bakery? We raised over $3,500 in a day! Not bad for a town of 700 people. We made pagac, a Ukrainian stuffed flatbread, and sold it by the slice, pay whatever you want. I am so proud of my customers in this racist little town!
oldgold
@Gin & Tonic: Of all the damn things to complain about and you continually choose Marina Ovsyannikova?
WaterGirl
@Gin & Tonic: So what’s the game there, and who are the players?
Jay
@Gin & Tonic:
lots of people take a “jerb”, more so when it’s a good paying “jerb” in a crappy economy, who then have a “come to Jesus moment” when push comes to shove.
MBA’s, BailBonds, Repo persons, CEO’s, Bill Barr,……
sadly, many have their “Come to Jesus” moment after they have retired, cashed out their stock options, or want to sell an insider book.
Gin & Tonic
@Baud: I’m a big boy.
WaterGirl
@E.: That’s a wonderful story. And a wonderful thing to have done!
Jay
@E.:
yes, brag away.???
Spanky
@Gin & Tonic: Big boy? I think he was referring to the Een-quay of England-ay thing.
Gin & Tonic
@oldgold: People would rather talk about her than about Russians killing babies. If Anne Laurie didn’t bring it up, I wouldn’t have. But it was a stunt for Western consumption, and you bought it hook, line, and sinker.
Baud
@Spanky:
Ding. I don’t want to get SC in trouble fie the wrong thing.
Elizabelle
@Baud: Hey there. Yes. It’s 12:19 am local time Germany. Which does daylight savings time next weekend.
A tad restless.
Alison Rose ???
@raven: I def do not have you pied and would not do so! I’m sorry if I’ve missed other comments–I have a tendency to comment and then forget to come back to a post for like 6 hours and there’s 200 more comments and I’m like “nah”. I didn’t mean to ignore you and apologize if it came across that way. Thank you for your words, and I am also sorry because I know some of my comments on Adam’s posts have been perhaps a little…bellicose. I try to rein myself in but it is really tough in this case. I appreciate what you’ve said and absolutely do not hold the comment against you at all <3
Gin & Tonic
@Spanky: Ooh, missed that completely. That Baud is a subtle one.
Elizabelle
@E.: Well done! And now you really can’t tell us where your bakery is located, since you just called its town racist … ;-)
Elizabelle
@mrmoshpotato: All the cool kids are catching it. Or something.
Baud
@mrmoshpotato:
This proves he and Obama are having an affair!
Spanky
@Gin & Tonic:
Ummmmmm. Sure.
jnfr
@E.:
Awesome! Thanks to you all for doing that.
Martin
@Gin & Tonic: Yeah, that’s why there’s not a lot of sympathy for her. She helped write the long history of the justification for the invasion of Ukraine and now is suddenly distraught that there was an invasion of Ukraine. I mean, good on her for her rehabilitation, but it’s more than a bit late to matter.
germy
CROAKER
No idea what this is about or the six others are …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muUZjovOFRg
Baud
@germy:
I missed that at the time. So weird.
Splitting Image
@Alison Rose ???:
I can vouch for this. Two of my co-workers were supporting the “Freedom Convoy” at one of our Teams meetings a few weeks back, even to the point of hoping they succeeded in throwing down the government. I had to hold my tongue.
Last week the conversation was about how COVID restrictions are being lifted and “people can finally go out”, but gas prices are too high to go anywhere. How they must be suffering.
Oh, and today I just found out my company has created a Facebook page and is encouraging everyone to join. *headdesk
Captain C
@germy: In those pics he looks like a Florida coke dealer who’s in the midst of a heavy bender on his own product.
mrmoshpotato
Are you sure that he didn’t accept the AG nomination just because he’s an evil bastard who wanted to wield power in an evil administration?
Martin
FSB letter #6 is out, and well… curious what Adam thinks of it. I know the earlier letters had been verified by Bellingcat but what’s described is pretty fucking out there.
germy
Baud
@germy:
Some apes had too much self respect to evolve into man.
phdesmond
@E.:
what a delicious thing to do!
turns out the word pagac is related to a familiar food term:
germy
Miss Bianca
@E.: Oh, wow! Is this in the same bakery in the town where your local RWNJs refused to mask up? #mindblown.
If so, could it be that the sight of people facing real tyranny and oppression has woken some of your fellow citizens up?
SiubhanDuinne
@E.:
This is the PERFECT place, and your story made me so happy!! Congratulations to all of you!
germy
@Baud:
The cats talked them out of it
SiubhanDuinne
@germy:
CRRRRRINGE!! Also, SHUTTER!
jackmac
@Martin: Hi. Link (and translation) anywhere yet? Thanks.
MisterForkbeard
@germy: Oh, this is no way compromises him at all with the GOP electorate, and probably part of the indies too.
debbie
@Martin:
Do you have a link?
Baud
@germy:
“Do you really wanna spend your entire lives belng my bitch?”
trollhattan
@Spanky: Pants are a subtle concept.
trollhattan
@germy:
“Sure we came from bacteria or some shit and voila, we still have bacteria? Why do bacteria not want to evolve?” [whisper whisper from epidemiologist, stage left]. “Oh, that kind of evolution, that’s man-made.”
Martin
@mrmoshpotato: Yeah, he is.
Look, I get the job aspect of things, and I can’t speak for what its like in Russia, but at least for the US examples, government is not unlike democracy in that it operates by consent. Lower-level employees can absolutely influence or straight-up stop various actions. You can whistleblow. You can go to the media. I’ve taken things to the CA legislature. You don’t necessarily get the outcome you want, but you sure as shit can leave a record behind that it was objected to, why, evidence, and all that.
Now, low-level employees – no, I don’t expect them to take the risk. But higher level employees? Anyone who has a contract, negotiates their salary, has a title, is a public figure – yeah, they sure as shit better be doing that. Officers have an obligation to not follow an illegal order. That’s what the big bucks are for – so you have a cushion should you lose the job. And if they don’t do it when it matters, I’m not going to give them props for trying to salvage their reputation after it all goes to shit. Doing right means doing it when nobody will give you credit. Your only reward is that you did right and you can look at yourself in the mirror the next day.
trollhattan
They may be busy fighting now-a-war, but not too busy to push for 13 years in prison for the guy they poisoned already.
E.
@Miss Bianca: Same town. To be honest, the anti-vax racist loudmouth crowd has quit coming in altogether, and disparage my business whenever they can. The local newspaper, now on-line only, wouldn’t publish a peep about the fundraiser. There are good people here. Just as there are good people in Alabama, Russia, and everywhere else. They are having a tough time competing though.
Dorothy A. Winsor
@E.: Bless you and your customers. You rock
Jay
@mrmoshpotato:
It was a compare and contrast, Mag’s hasn’t held up a protest sign ever. Barr, Woodward and a bunch of the media scum took notes, kept their mouths shut, saving it all for their tell all, ( some) books, rather than informing the public.
Spanky
@trollhattan: Some enterprising journalist should ask Walker his opinion on the Oxygen Catastrophe.
(A quatloo for every journalist you can find that’s even heard of the Oxygen Catastrophe.)
Martin
@debbie: Here.
Looks like they misread the Iran strike in Iraq as an attack on the US facility. So that likely dates when the letter was written pretty narrowly since that interpretation was only out for less than 24 hours.
The described strategy here is kinda batshit. Heaven help Russia if this is their actual plan.
Martin
People may not be aware that wholesale gas prices have dropped by about $1 over the last week. Guessing nobody is seeing that at the pump. Guess it’s Biden’s fault because he can’t get around the country fast enough at his age to personally change all the price boards.
mrmoshpotato
@Martin: Oh, I wasn’t alluding to Russia in any way. Just calling Barr an evil bastard.
Lyrebird
@E.: Heck, the title is “doing the work”, and look at y’all doing it!! That’s fantastic.
zhena gogolia
@Baud: Zackly.
Argiope
@Martin: Wow, batshit is right. Has Putin met us? Ever? He’s spending WAYYYY too much time alone if these letters turn out to be real. And probably even if they aren’t.
Spanky
@Argiope:
(Psssst! Putin is commenting as Baud! Pass it on.)
(Or maybe as Just Some Fuckhead.)
Hope jsf is doing ok.
Geminid
@mrmoshpotato: I think Bill Barr took the AG job to look after the interests of conservative fat cats like the ones who back the Federalist Society and the Heritage Foundation. To get them the judges, regulations and appointees etc. they wanted. They could not trust Trump to appoint a competent man because they knew Trump was not competent.
Barr delivered for his masters. They got what they wanted out of Trump, and now Trump is just useless trash to them.
debbie
@Martin:
Thanks!
Shalimar
@Martin: What is Russia going to attack the West with? Ukraine seems to be beating their army wherever they actually come into contact. I’m not seeing any extra divisions ready to invade Poland.
scav
@germy: If the Georgia GOP is grooming Senate candidate Herschel Walker, undoubtedly they’re eating all the fleas they pick off him.
MagdaInBlack
@Martin: Good lord, that’s crazyiness.
And as Shalimar said, How? They’re beggin’ food from China, ffs.
Dan B
@E.: Well done!
Calouste
@germy: I descended from my grandparents, I wonder how I can possibly have cousins. Which is the same argument, but with a slightly compressed timeline.
JPL
@germy: Hershel just wanted the evangelical vote. He has indicated that he won’t debate other primary candidates. I doubt that he’ll debate Warnock, if he wins the primary.
debbie
@Martin:
Well, nothing in that letter was remotely delusional. ?
MisterForkbeard
@Martin: The whole strategy there is totally nuts. Basically “We’re going to scream about how the West is causing a war by doing things we’ve been doing for some time, and then threaten a fight. And then NATO will fall apart when we threaten to attack Poland!”
If this is legit, it’s alarming purely because it betrays an enormous amount of idiocy and bravura.
CaseyL
@Martin: Holy cow, that is a crazy scenario. I mean… has this strategist listened to what NATO and the US are saying at all?
Note: That scenario might have worked out if Trump was still in the Oval Office. Maybe Russia is counting on him to regain power?
@E.: You did good!
germy
Spanky
@Martin: Riiiight. The only mention of China is a brief assumption that they remain neutral. No mention that Putin is already asking them for aid.
Jay
@Shalimar:
given their performance so far,
Russia will sortie their Nuclear subs from the Northern Fleet. These are basically these days, sacrificial lambs.
They will sortie their Pacific Fleet subs into the Sea of Otosk, which they believe is a safe basin, protected by sensors and ASW patrols from NATO and other’s attacks.
Then from deniably occupied areas of Ukraine they will launch long range missile strikes into Poland, probably targeting either Aid Convoys headed into Ukraine or Refugee Columns leaving Ukraine,
And then will blame Ukraine for the attacks with the hopes of putting NATO on the “backfoot”.
gwangung
@Calouste: Well, yes, but it’s a winning argument for 45% of the country.
MisterForkbeard
@CaseyL: If Trump was still in office, I could totally still see NATO breaking up. Trump was literally trying to do that.
germy
@JPL:
I wish the evangelicals would stop voting and instead focus their attention on the afterlife.
raven
@Alison Rose ???: Thank you.
jackmac
@Martin: Reading this latest FSB memo, it strikes me that Putin and his top people see themselves as giants and geniuses who can dictate Western responses and outcomes. They are not. There’s been an awful lot of unanimity and spine-stiffening among NATO allies, including collective and collaborative decision-making. Putin, by contrast, has a now-proven Potemkin military that’s being held to a stalemate by Ukraine, an economy on the verge of collapse and a world standing that arguably rivals North Korea. Yeah, he has nukes and could certainly use them. But isn’t there a rival school of thought in Russia that Putin is rapidly driving the country into ruin and there needs to be a way to move him out before a World War III really breaks out?
Jay
Martin
@CaseyL: I mean, the argument is that so long as Putin has nukes, he can perpetually get the west to back down no matter what. I mean, I’m sure that’s what Putin wants to think, and it matches internal propaganda, but the west doesn’t work like that.
Martin
@Shalimar: They’ve kept about half of their military in reserve. Probably need that to keep civil control. Russia presumably has their longer range strategic (conventional) weapons still available. We haven’t seen their best fighter planes, their bombers, etc. Then don’t seem to be so committed to this effort to risk the shiny stuff.
Geminid
@JPL: Did you hear much about Stacey Abram’ Atlanta rally last night? Politico had a good article about it.
There also was a very good interview of Abrams last month in Atlanta.CapitalBnews.org. It’s titled “Stacey Abrams and her vision for ‘One Georgia’.” The interview reminded me how shrewd a politician and impressive a comunicator she is.
sab
@Martin: NPR talked about it this afternoon, possibly on Marketplace.. They thought it was because China is probably about to go i to a Covid lockdown so won’t be using the usual amount of energy, so they are buying less oil.
Jay
Jay
@Martin:
roughly half their military, ( ground forces, Navy) are Conscripts.
JPL
@Geminid: Today I spent getting ready for company, so didn’t even watch the local news. She did get some grief from the republicans about her saying she did the work. Medicaid expansion should be a winning issue though.
From the AJC
“I did the work and now I want the job,” Abrams said to cheering supporters in west Atlanta last night, as cheers of “Stacey” broke out.
Kemp spokesman Tate Mitchell shot back that while the governor led Georgia through the pandemic, Abrams “spent her time chasing the covers of style magazines and running a shadow campaign for president.” He added: “Georgians know who’s who.”
Geminid
@germy: I just wish the evangelicals would go back to fighting among themselves, like they used to. I got a a glimmer of hope the other day, though. Some Baptist preacher on the local radio station started pitching his new book titled “Calvinism: None Dare Call It Heresy.”
Calouste
@Jay: You never know, they might just be waiting for an opportunity. Some of Hitler’s generals were planning for two years to get rid of him, during which a number of failed attempts were made on his life. Most of them failed so badly, they weren’t even detected, but the bomb that went off in Hitler’s conference room and killed four people was hard to ignore.
Calouste
@Martin: Maybe the shiny stuff doesn’t work very well. The first of their new fighters crashed before it was even delivered.
The F-35 was a bit of a boondoggle, and that was developed by a country that’s not completely corrupt from top to bottom.
Ishiyama
@MisterForkbeard: Epistemic closure is a cruel mistress.
Omnes Omnibus
@Martin:
Picking a nit here, all soldiers have an obligation not to obey illegal orders. Not just officers.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
OT: Jesse Watters is back to talking about Hunter’s laptop, but I have a hunch the computer repair shop guy is a plant run by James Carville, or somebody old-school like that.
Kalakal
@Martin: If that lunacy is the ‘new plan’, taking into accounts events of the last few week these guys are very poor learners. It’s delusional.
Baud
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
That laptop is the real reason Russia banned Hunter Biden.
Jay
@Calouste:
It’s a different structure, ( so far).
Those who can get within the end of a conference table with Pootie Poot have to pass searches, Covid tests, and are so far, still selling, buying and drinking the Koolaide.
The Field Generals etc who have had their eyes opened arn’t even allowed to travel to Moscow.
The guy’s who tried to serve Hitler and others Flavoraid, was a combo of Strategists with 4 years experience of the maps not working out, Field Commanders promoted for surviving while their Armies were decimated, and a bunch of NCO’s and lower level Officers filling Staff positions while recovering from their wounds on the Eastern Front, all in the General Staff or adjacent.
Geminid
@JPL: The Politico article had some striking quotes from Abrams’ speech. At one point she used her father as an example of the the need for better health care for all Georgians. Mr. Abrams has fought prostate cancer for 15 years, and a recent surgery resulted in life-threatening sepsis. Abrams had moved her parents into her Atlanta home due to the pandemic, and her father had access to prompt and good care that saved his life.
Abrams pointed out that not all Georgians would have fared as well:
MisterDancer
@germy: Creationism and (Un)Intelligent Design was my OG entry into (waves hands) all this political stuff. So yeah, Walker’s bollicks is nothing but a shoutout to the many, many people who’s ability to carve out a rational argument was killed from cradle on from getting fed crap like this, or Lost Cause shit, or related topics. This is a long-standing big-assed Problem.
It’s easy to forget that the Scopes Trial was about the same kinds of toxic lawmaking that we see today for so-called Critical Race Theory. For a long time, the needs of Conservatism aligned with Scientific progress (see:early Cold War), and that strain was put in a cupboard. I think a lot of us tend to see that time as “normal”, and not as, instead, an aberration in Conservatism’s long-standing desire to control science on top of culture.
(See Also: Louis Agassiz, one of the most important scientists in history, and a guy so fuckin’ racist even his Harvard bio page is basically like “he’s the H. P. Lovecraft of science, and we’re low-key really sorry ’bout that.”)
Anyway: once the scientific community got their own ethics (kinda) straight, and started to push back en masse as the Cold War went on…well, that all aligns with a host of cultural and political shifts that a real historian can lay out better than I, sleepy as I am.
What I can say, is that we should know that what Walker is saying here is part of a long history, not something that is at all out of sorts or weird to a depressingly large number of people in Georgia…and all over the country.
Steeplejack
@Martin:
This is starting to sound like QAnon-level bullshit.
Aziz, light!
@trollhattan: Kalil Galeev had some interesting things to say about Navalny, labelling him a racist “ethnonationalist.” Said although he shouldn’t be a political prisoner, Navalny is not a good guy. Better than Putin perhaps, but who isn’t?
Gin & Tonic
@Aziz, light!: Navalny is not viewed favorably in Ukraine.
David ? ☘The Establishment☘? Koch
OT: Kristen Stewart should have a hot fiancë (photo)
Geminid
@Calouste: Germany announced plans to order 35 F-35s, to replace their aging Tornados. Germany is backing the Eurofighter project, but they only ordered 15 of the Eurofighters.
The F-35 costs more than originally projected, but it seems to be be a capable plane. Recently Finland selected it after a competition between Lockheed and it’s Swedish and French competitors.
Gin & Tonic
A good thread from Slava Malamud about linguistic and cultural differences between Russian and Ukrainian, and how they play into the current war.
Calouste
@Geminid: there were a number of issues with the F-35 during development, which resulted in delays and cost overruns. ( But which are apparently now resolved) The point I was trying to make is that most likely, considering the complexity of developing a 21st century fighter plane, Russia ran into similar issues, but due to nature of a corrupt government, some of these issues might have been swept under the carpet rather than resolved.
Aziz, light!
Eventually we may learn if the FSB guy is legit or is, say, a former FSB guy who knows the lingo and is feeding us a plausible work of fiction. Possibly we will never establish the veracity of these letters.
Jay
@Gin & Tonic:
Nalvany is only a “nice guy”, compared to Pootie Poot.
It’s not a compliment.
Soprano2
@E.: Wow, that’s impressive. Good job!
Kalakal
@Geminid:
The reasons rather scary. They are buying the F35s because they want aircraft that can carry US made nukes.
They have about 180 Eurofighters, the extra 15 are electronic warfare variants
Calouste
@Jay: Hitler’s general staff also looked like they were buying, drinking, and selling the koolaid, until it turned out some of them weren’t. Can’t tell from the outside really if anything is going on or not. Although it seems that the US, from the information they have made public, has a really good mole pretty close to Putin.
CROAKER
Soprano2
@Martin: Nope. We joke that the price goes up by $0.10 at a time but drops a penny at a time. It has dropped from $3.79 on Sunday to $3.67 today. I’ll be interested to see what it is tomorrow since the barrel price is dropping.
dexwood
@CROAKER: Succinct. I like it.
Calouste
@Kalakal: You’d think that after the umpteenth plan that is not going to plan they would start to learn. Or at least start to panic.
Gin & Tonic
@dexwood: Brevity is the soul of wit.
Scout211
I don’t know if this has been posted yet, but the Senate just passed permanent daylight savings time.
raven
OK Adam, i’m going to bed,
Geminid
@Calouste: Yes, high grade warplanes in quantity would be real challenge for Russia. We solved the F-35’s problems with money, so now they cost $100 million each, way more than originally projected.
Bill Arnold
@Martin:
If that is in any way real, some Russians in the center of power are utterly delusional and disconnected from reality. (I can’t gauge the (probability of the) reality of it for sure through the noise from the translator.)
Such a “plan” would not survive even its initial contact with reality.
Calouste
Zelenskyy just claimed that another Russian general was killed today. That’s the fourth by my count, and I read an estimate that there would be about 20 involved with the invasion, so that’s a pretty serious casualty rate.
Geminid
@Kalakal: I saw that. I did not know that German planes carried American nukes. I guess that’s better than Germany making it’s own.
Alison Rose ???
@Scout211: Honestly, I don’t care at this point if we keep it this way or the other, anything that means we don’t change the clocks is 100% good in my book.
Kalakal
@Geminid: I’m not sure they do, they have an undisclosed number of gravity bombs under NATO. They signed some agreement years not to make their own. The F35s are a major step up the ladder, being able to carry missiles rather than old style bombs
Kalakal
@Calouste: You’d think so wouldn’t you?
Scout211
@Alison Rose ???:
My thoughts, too.
dexwood
@Gin & Tonic: Have been meaning to ask you if you’re familiar with the Ukrainian musicians/performance artists DakhaBrakha. We’ve seen five of their shows in Albuquerque and Santa Fe over the years, pre-covid. Fell in love with them, bought tickets to treat a small group of friends once. Never understood any of their lyrics. Didn’t matter because the music was so beautiful. We think of them a lot these days.
Jay
@Calouste:
it took 5 years of war, 3 years of at best, stalemate, a year of disastrous losses, and major changes to the general staff and staffers, often due to combat losses, for some of the Koolaide drinkers around Hitler, decide to try to serve him Flavoraide.
When you run a kleptocracy, where everything is for sale, it’s not difficult for Foreign Countries to buy assets lock, stock and barrel, (eg. NRA, TFG, Fucker Failson, the RNC),….
debbie
@Gin & Tonic:
Shafran’s dismissive distinction between Russian and Ukrainian words (like lystar vs. rystar) reminds me of that argument in one of Jonathan Swift’s novels about which end of the egg is the right end to be cracked open.
NotMax
@Scout211
But FREEDUMB!
“Gubmint haz no bidness tellin’ me what time it is!”
//
trollhattan
Wass?!? Where did you read this?
Martin
@Geminid: I think if the plane is assigned to NATO then it would. Essentially, the US has nukes stationed in Germany, under US control, but we could deploy them on any suitable NATO aircraft. But for a non-NATO F-35, then no.
Basically, Germany gets the benefits (such as they are) of having nukes there without the cost of developing and supporting them. The US gets tactical weapons closer to Russia and can eliminate one potential complication by having another nuclear power in the world.
Jay
@Geminid:
German aircraft don’t carry US nukes. F-104’s are as close as Germany came to nuclear capable mounts, but they were disabled along with the bombsights. Germany used the F-104’s as interceptors, where Canada, as they aged, turned them into low level strike bombers.
The attraction of the F-35 for Germany is not because they can in theory, carry US nukes, it’s that their limited stealth features makes them usable for SEAD roles, replacing the ancient F4’s in Wild Weasel roles and the vintage Tornado’s in runway denial.
NotMax
@trollhattan
Standard operating procedure, procurement-wise, NOT standard operating equipment, airborne-wise. Planes they will be replacing have the same capability to carry them.
Martin
I believe that extends beyond just US planes carrying US nukes and French planes carrying French nukes.
Old School
Statement by UCC President on Russian Sanctions
Jay
@Martin:
Canadian aircraft haven’t been able to carry nukes, (US supplied) since the Genie and Voodoo combo in the 60’s.
Most NATO aircraft are not nuclear capable, other than those who have their own or allow it. Many NATO nations have “banned” nukes.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_sharing
JR
@Mart: The family has asked for privacy
https://www.google.com/amp/s/arizonasports.com/story/3057112/brittney-griners-wife-thanks-fans-for-support-asks-for-privacy/amp/
Kalakal
@trollhattan: Reuters
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/germany-decides-principle-buy-f-35-fighter-jet-government-source-2022-03-14/
Defense news
https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2022/03/14/germany-to-buy-f-35-warplanes-for-nuclear-deterrence/
Gin & Tonic
@dexwood: Sure, I know DakhaBrakha. I’m glad you enjoyed their performances. They’re a great act.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Calouste: I don’t know this source, but…
Martin
@Jay: Right, but I don’t think there’s any legal issue with a NATO assigned German plane carrying a NATO assigned US nuke. Essentially, it’s a NATO plane and a NATO nuke. The nationality restrictions come off once it’s assigned to NATO. One way that the US can control that is to not sell Germany nuke capable planes which could be assigned to NATO, as we did with Turkey (who was part of the original group of countries that initiated the F35 project) when they bought AA from Russia.
So my understanding is that Poland and Italy and Netherlands can all deploy US nukes on their nations planes under a NATO mission and all have planes capable of doing that (I think they all have F-35, or have them on order). I don’t know if its the case for all of those US nukes, but I thought I had read that at least some of them, they can only be deployed in a NATO mission. They aren’t owned by NATO, but the agreement for them to be in country is that they’re only to be used as part of NATO operations.
Martin
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: There are photos going around, so I think this one is very confirmed.
zhena gogolia
@Gin & Tonic: That’s quite good.
Gin & Tonic
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: NEXTA is usually pretty reliable.
Lyrebird
@Gin & Tonic: Thanks for that language link! Malamud is a treasure.
Splitting Image
@Martin:
Putin’s Russia is an empire now, and when it acts, it creates its own reality. While other people are studying that reality – judiciously, as they will – Russia will act again, creating other new realities, which people can study too, and that’s how things will sort out.
Kalakal
@Martin: Back in ’80s I lived in Groningen, Netherlands, my landlord was an active reserve artillery officer in the Netherlands army. He got promoted to Major and told me that now if it all went South he would be one of the people firing NATO nuclear artillery shells, he didn’t know about hitting any Russians but he’d get satisfaction out of lobbing nukes around on German soil. As a child in WW2 he’d had to watch as the Nazis publiclly executed his father
karen marie
Manchin can get stuffed.
David ? ☘The Establishment☘? Koch
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
Jay
@Martin:
NATO countries not part of the NATO nuclear sharing programs, when they get US Equipment, part of the contract is that the arming/aiming functions are removed before delivery.
CF-118’s can carry all the air launched tactical nuclear weapons on their hardpoints, they can’t however arm, aim or fire them.
There is no issue with Nuclear Sharing NATO nations using US supplied and controlled Nuclear Weapons,
other than they are US controlled, and some Nations like Britain and France, don’t believe that what constitutes a trip wire for the use of Nukes, is not shared by the US.
Germany want’s the F-35 for SEAD missions, not nukes. In the frontal aspect, they are almost invisible to ground based air defences, at medium altitudes, where the ancient F-4’s and old Tornado’s have to fly a tree top levels for SEAD missions. They carry their AARM’s internally, so AA radars see an incoming the size of a sparrow, right up to deployment and launch, when the incoming briefly grows to the size of a crow. The F-35’s weakness is that from the rear, it’s medium sized, and hot on IR.
Germany has lots of Eurofighters better suited to the Nuclear Mission.
rikyrah
Go 46
Another Scott
@Gin & Tonic: Thanks for the pointer.
Cheers,
Scott.